Iraq PM urges Russia to cooperate in anti-ISIL fight

Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi has called on Russia to further help the Arab country in the battle against Takfiri ISIL terror group, saying terrorism poses a serious threat to the security of all its neighboring states.

“We understand that not only Iraq but also the neighboring countries are exposed to the threat of terrorism,” said the Iraqi premier during a meeting with his Russian counterpart, Dmitry Medvedev, in Moscow on Thursday.

“This phenomenon is evolving and assuming a new shape, and we perfectly understand that all this will require more attention from Russia, and we expect to work together more actively in this area,” he stated, adding, “In a joint effort, we will be able to have victory over these new forces.”

Abadi also said he decided to go ahead with his visit to Russia “despite recommendations by some forces to cancel this trip.”“We highly value relations with Russia and consider them promising, and I think our visit directly proves this,” he went on to say.Medvedev, for his part, voiced Moscow’s readiness to boost ties with Baghdad, saying, “We are glad to support and advance cooperation with Iraq at the government level.”

According to Kremlin’s spokesman Dmitry Peskov, Abadi is also scheduled to meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin later in the day to discuss bilateral defense ties and the “situation in the (Middle East) region.”

In 2014, Moscow provided Baghdad with Mi-28 attack helicopters to help the Arab country’s military in its fight against Takfiri terrorists.

In a meeting with his visiting Iraqi counterpart, Ibhrahim al-Jaafari, in Moscow on March 19, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said his country is determined to continue helping Iraq further upgrade its military capabilities, especially as it is battling the ISIL Takfiri militant group.

The northern and western parts of Iraq have been in chaos since ISIL started its campaign of terror in early June 2014. The terrorists are in control of the city of Mosul, the second largest city of Iraq, and also the strategic city of Ramadi.

Since then, Iraq’s army has been joined by Kurdish forces, and Shia and Sunni volunteers in operations to flush ISIL terrorists out of the areas they have seized.